Thomas w



(No Model.)

'T; W. ,KIRBY. WIRE STRBTGHING AND TYING DEVIGE.

' .No. 577,861. Patented Mar. 2, 1897;

Inventor mamas y Nrrnn STATES PATENT FFICE,

THOMAS WV. KIRBY, OF CHICO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF TVVO-THIRDS TO S. G. STALNECKER AND J. F. BROOKS, OF SAME PLACE.

WIR E STRETCHING AND TYING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 577,861, dated March 2, 1897.

Application filed October 20, 1896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. KIRBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chico, in the county of Wise and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Wire- Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wire-stretchers.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device capable of enabling the wires of a fence after the latter has been erected or during the construction thereof to be readily tightened to the desired tension without necessitating the removal of staples or other devices for fastening the fence-wires to the posts.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wire-stretcher constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied in operative position on a portion of a fence. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the wire-stretcher detached.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in both the figures of the drawings.

1 designates a wire-stretcher consisting of a lever designed to be fulcrumed on afencewire 2, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, and to be connected to one end of a wire-tie 3, which extends around a fence-post 4: and has its other end twisted around and thereby secured'to a fence-wire. The twisted portion 5 of the wire-tie is arranged at one side of the fence-post, and the lever is adapted to twist the other end of the tie at the other side of the post to draw the fence-wire backwardat each side of the post to obtain the desired tension, as will be readily understood.

The lower end of the lever is provided with a substantially-Lshaped bearing slot 6, having a transverse entrance branch and a lon- Serial No. 609,431. (No model.)

gitudinal branch extending upward from the inner end of the entrance branch and adapted to receive a fence wire and enable the lever to be rotated thereon to twist the tie. The tie is detachably secured to the lever, so that the latter may be readily disconnected from it after the twisting operation has been completed, and the lever is provided at a point between its bearing-slot and its opposite end with a pair of perforations 7, through which the wire is passed, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The wire is first passed through the perforation adjacent to the bearing-slot and is then extended along the lever to the other perforation and passed through the same. After the operation of twisting is completed the wire may be readily removed from the lever to permit the latter to operate on another fence-wire.

It will be seen-that the wire-stretcher is capable of rapidly securing the ties to the fence-wires and of readily stretching the latter to the desired tension, and the wire-ties may be employed when the fence is con structed for securing the fence-wires to the posts, or the fence-wires may be attached to the posts by any other suitable means, and the ties may be employed for obtaining the desired tension of the fence-wires.

What I claim is A wire stretching and tying device comprising a straight lever provided at one end with a substantially L-shaped bearing-slot adapted to receive a fence-wire and enable the lever to be fulcrumed thereon, said lever being provided adjacent to the inner end of the bearing-slot with a pair of perforations adapted to have a wire laced through them and thereby secured to the lever, whereby when the latter is rotated around a fencewire, the tie will be twisted thereon, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS W. KIRBY.

Witnesses:

W. B. GRAY, J. T. BUOKALOO. 

